Gochujang Caramel Cookies
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:About 8 large cookies
- ½cup (8 tablespoons)/115 grams unsalted butter, very soft
- 2packed tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1heaping tablespoon gochujang
- 1cup/200 grams granulated sugar
- 1large egg, at room temperature
- ½teaspoon coarse kosher salt or ¾ teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- ¼teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½teaspoon baking soda
- 1½cups/185 grams all-purpose flour
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
312 calories; 13 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 29 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 175 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon butter, the brown sugar and gochujang until smooth. Set aside for later, at room temperature.
- Step 2
In a large bowl, by hand, whisk together the remaining 7 tablespoons butter, the granulated sugar, egg, salt, cinnamon and vanilla until smooth, about 1 minute. Switch to a flexible spatula and stir in the baking soda. Add the flour and gently stir to combine. Place this large bowl in the refrigerator until the dough is less sticky but still soft and pliable, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Step 3
While the dough is chilling, heat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 large sheet pans with parchment.
- Step 4
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. In 3 to 4 separately spaced out blobs, spoon the gochujang mixture over the cookie dough. Moving in long circular strokes, swirl the gochujang mixture into the cookie dough so you have streaks of orange-red rippled throughout the beige. Be sure not to overmix at this stage, as you want wide, distinct strips of gochujang.
- Step 5
Use an ice cream scoop to plop out ¼-cup rounds spaced at least 3 inches apart on the sheet pans. (You should get 4 to 5 cookies per pan.) Bake until lightly golden at the edges and dry and set in the center, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Let cool completely on the sheet pan; the cookies will flatten slightly and continue cooking as they cool. The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Kristen
These were incredibly delicious. The gochujang caramel adds a subtle spice reminiscent of gingerbread. However, I would have swirled the gochujang caramel into the dough before it chilled and stiffened to more easily achieve the proper rippling effect.
Dorinf
Yes you can make them smaller. I used a 2 TBS scoop (1/8 cup) and cooked for 13 minutes. The 19 resulting cookies were 3" in diameter and delicious.
Shannon
These are the best cookies I have ever eaten! I used the exact ingredients, but I patted out the cookie dough (which was much firmer than Eric's in his video - I have a cold house and my flour may be drier than his) and spread the gochujang unevenly on top, then rolled it up in a log, chilled in the freezer for 15 minutes and cut in thick slices. I got 24 beautiful, crunchy, sweet, salty & spicy cookies with a beautiful swirl pattern. I'm making them again tonight!
Adam LeClair
Please just make these. They’re are amazing. Just…. Amazing! Make as is. And let your life be greatly improved! My only note is I got a better thatch when left in the oven more on the 13 min side.
Brendan
You will make a lot of mistakes today. Making these will not be one of them. Amazing cookies.
Kat
Re: the swirling. After reading others notes, I came up with my own approach. Before chilling, I warmed up the gochujang sauce to make it a little thinner, pressed the dough down in the bowl a bit, and did about half a tablespoon of drizzle back and forth over the dough. Then I folded the dough in half and repeated three or four times - basically a lamination approach. Chilled for 15 minutes, and proceeded. It worked beautifully, with big thick ribbons of caramel through the cookies.
NA
Watching the YouTube video may help with the chilling/dolloping/streaking parts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B43W_wXJuY
Ellen
Bad day? Gochujang Caramel Cookies. Good day? Gochujang Caramel Cookies. Dehydrated? Gochujang Caramel Cookies. Rent due? Gochujang Caramel Cookies. Promised your first born to a mischievous elf? Gochujang Caramel Cookies.
Holmestead
Eric, this one is a keeper! Thank you for working so hard to create such amazing recipes that are easy to follow, use ingredients I almost always have on hand, and taste fantastic! The balance of sweet to spicy is perfect!
mellowbaker
Love it, the cookie had a great flavor profile - especially if you’re someone who has enjoyed miso cookies in the past - this recipe creates similar umami notes. I struggled to mix the caramel in properly without over-mixing. Ultimately, I did over-mix the two components which caused the cookies to spread too large. Next time I would dollop a bit of the caramel on top of each cookie and swirl it in with a offset knife or something, to avoid this issue.
Emily H
These are mind blowing! I veganized these using 3tbsp Just Egg and vegan butter and it worked flawlessly. I found the dough to be a little crumbly at first, which isn’t unusual for vegan cookies, but after 15 min in the fridge it came together. I also only had a 2 tbsp cookie scoop instead of a 1/4 cup scoop called for and it worked out great - 12.5 min worked for me but I started checking at 11. Make these!
Hannah C
This was truly a perfect cookie. Sweet & chewy with a slight surprise from the gochujang. I was skeptical before making, but Eric Kim never misses. I dolloped the gochujang butter on top after scooping and folded the cookie over itself, baked for 13 mins, and they came out absolutely perfect. Adding to my cookie roto!
RoLo
Egg whites make cookies crunchy. Bakers actually remove egg white from recipes to make their cookies chewier; that's why so many cookie recipes with the word "chewy" in their title will call for 1 egg+ 1-2 yolks. This is also why whites are called for in recipes where you want "stiffening" action, like meringues and coconut macaroons (they help dry out and harden the coconut) and even royal icing.
Peggo
Nice cookie--like a snickerdoodle with a kick. A few people said it tasted like a bbq sauce-infused sugar cookie. I suspect that is about the brand of gochujang you are using, I used some from a nearby grocery store because I was out of my usual (which I buy at an Asian market) and also had this experience. Then I tasted the paste itself and...ick. It really did taste like bbq sauce. So maybe try again with better product?
Midwesterner
Wow! Best cookie I’ve made in a while—and a nice different twist to add to cookie trays/care packages. Did 2 Tbl scoops, made 23, baked 13 mins. My gochugang was stiff so I had to microwave it a little, which I’m sure made the “caramel” easier to swirl (did before chilling dough). Definitely making again. Soon.
Nancy
Saved this recipe well over a year ago and finally made today—super delicious!! 2 thumbs up all around. Definitely a fun change for sweet treat!
Endersonline
Too sweet but otherwise delicious
Krisan
These are incredible! I mixed coconut yogurt w/ ground flax to substitute the egg and they came out great!
Marcella
Such a DELICIOUS cookie! I love gochujang but never thought of incorporating it as an ingredient to bake cookies. This recipe is simple, classy and has become a staple in my home.
Melissa
These are incredible. I am only disappointed that I didn't make them sooner. Keeping a freezer stash for the future!
Celere1
I didn't have any gochujang sauce, so found an easy recipe using what I had. It included (white) miso for the umami, dry Korean red pepper, ground garlic, coconut aminos/tamari, and maple syrup (I used brown rice syrup). It worked really well and the cookies were delicious. The heat of the pepper at the end is amazing (and you can't taste any garlic). My husband is now trying to figure out how to incorporate these cookies into other dishes.
Eliana
I messed up the caramel part so I had to just mix it into the dough entirely but it was still so good. They spread like crazy, they're so big and so chewy and yummy.
joetta
Incredible flavor and texture. And I had some issues but they still rock. I don’t think the dough got cold enough, I tried to put too many on a sheet, and you def want to cook them for a bit longer!
cook
Tbsp-sized scoops will cook in about 6 minutes
Sam
We love these! They are a wonderful introduction to gochujang (in everything) and Eric Kim's recipes. My only caveat is that mine often turn out too cakey. Still excellent but I would prefer that chewy Subway-cookie texture..
Suzanne
I had a batch that came out too cakey. It was because I overmixed them and beat in too much air. These cookies just need to be stirred. They are so good with a crispy outside, chewy inside texture.
Corlan Johnson
Either a stronger whisk or stronger arms would be required to whip butter and sugar by hand as directed. I used an electric hand mixer for the first ingredients, then added the flour. To create rolls, as suggested, in some comments, I used a drinking glass for flattening, rather than patting the dough. the cookies are wonderful. I think the prep will go faster next time.
Stillnotcool
A couple of comments warned to get gochujang WITHOUT onion and garlic. Is that even possible - since the paste was originally intended for Korean cooking, not for use in cookies, is there such a thing as gochujang without garlic and onions (almost the last two in listed ingredients). For those who have tried this recipe and the paste used is without onions and garlic, what is the brand? For others, the paste used with onion/garlic is still the bomb? Thanks in advance for sharing.
Suzanne
No need to search. The regular paste I got at Whole Foods contains garlic and onions. These cookies are fantastic with it.
Corlan Johnson
Please clarify whether plain gochujang or sauce made from it is what is called for.
Corlan Johnson
Please help! A Comment warned about using gochujang with garlic and onion. I threw out some I had started when i saw it was listed in the ingredients. Today i bought a tub of what was just called gochujang at an Asian market…and now I find that it, too, includes garlic and onion.Does this really matter? If so, what brands don ‘t have them?
risha
I just use Chung Jung One O'Food gochujang, you can find it at Jewel. Perhaps others may have more insight, but as far as I know, the vast majority of gochujang pastes have garlic and onion; they're included in the aromatics! It didn't seem to make a difference in the cookies, I thought they were amazing! Also to respond to your other question: it's just a scoop of plain gochujang, no special sauce before you mix with the brown sugar and butter.
catherine
Am I the only person who always winds up with a dry/crumbly dough (very different from what Eric's looks like in the video) and cookies that are never that flat? And yes, egg room temp, rotating half way through, everything to the letter.
Suzanne
Don’t beat air into them too much! Just stir.
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